Ladeira

The proposal recognises that contemporary urban living requires hybrid conditions. Residents seek both proximity to the city and access to green space, privacy and openness, individuality and collective identity. The project translates this duality into spatial terms through a modular system that generates variation without losing coherence. A base unit is repeated and adapted, allowing the building to respond flexibly to different domestic configurations.

Volumetrically, the ensemble decomposes in relation to its surroundings. Towards the Lordelo neighbourhood, the scale remains controlled and domestic. As the building approaches Rua do Campo Alegre, the height increases gradually, responding to the broader urban dimension of this axis. This calibrated rise allows the project to mediate between contrasting scales within the same urban fabric.

Different ways of living are reflected in varied typologies and degrees of flexibility. The façade expresses this internal diversity through the use of two prefabricated cladding systems with contrasting textures. Beyond formal differentiation, this solution enables faster construction and reduced long-term maintenance.

Terraces and planted balconies extend domestic space outward and reinforce the project’s environmental performance. These elements contribute to permeability, reduce pollutants at ground level, and support rainwater collection for reuse within the dwellings. Sustainability is therefore embedded in the architectural system rather than added as a separate layer. By replacing enclosure with continuity, Ladeira proposes a residential structure shaped by relationships rather than boundaries.